Humanity's Greatest
by MoonSword1994
Summary: The war against the Titans bitterly rages on bringing with it new information, new enemies, and new challenges for the members of the second Special Operations Squad Levi. Eren isn't sure what his future will be like, or if it's even certain, but he does know that whatever happens, he won't walk the path alone.
1. The New Squad Levi

**A/N: This is going to be a blend of the anime and manga, so if you aren't caught up to either, there will be SPOILERS so read at your own risk. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

The world continued to turn despite all that occurred. The Scouts arrived back from Wall Maria to Wall Sina afterward, bloodied and broken but wiser. They stayed with the Military Police while the higher-ups figured out what to do next, which meant dealing with those evacuated to Wall Sina. After it was announced the wall had been breached, everyone was evacuated into the Underground beneath Wall Sina. Unfortunately, despite preparations, there were only enough supplies to feed everyone for a week. To avoid an uprising, Wall Maria was declared inhabitable, and everyone was moved back.

The threat, however, was only now being understood. Thanks to Hanji and Connie, there was now a working hypothesis as to how the invasion happened to begin with, not that it was expressly reassuring. Based on their findings in the village, Hanji believed the people were turned into Titans. She is not sure how or why, but she, Erwin, and the others are determined to discover any and all secrets that might reveal. The first step towards answers was to return to where it all began.

Levi stares at the map in front of the table, where one spot is circled several times in red ink. The next target, deep in Titan territory and their best shot at coming up with a plan to counter this new threat, is Eren Jaeger's house. For a while now he's mentioned that his father left him the key to the basement and that inside, he would discover essential secrets regarding the Titans. While no one is looking forward to returning to Wall Maria so soon after all this, it is the next logical step, especially if they want to back up Hanji's claim about how Titans are created.

A shudder crawls across Levi's shoulders and down his spine. Just thinking that all this time he's been killing people instead of monsters unsettles him greatly.

"What do you think, Captain?" asks Erwin from his bed. "Is that an acceptable target?"

"I can't say I'm happy with it, but we don't have much choice," he says flatly, betraying nothing about his conflicted thoughts. "It would probably be best not to involve too many people in this operation, just those who need to know."

Erwin nods. "I agree. I've already decided that you and Hanji will lead this expedition, with you taking command and her as your second. I want you to gather a squad of the finest Scouts and along with Jaeger, head to Wall Maria by the end of the month."

Levi doesn't even try to hide his surprise at the timeline. "That's barely three weeks. Shouldn't we take more time to prepare?"

Erwin looks at him curiously. "I'm surprised, Captain, normally you'd say that it's too much time."

"We've just suffered heavy losses," explains Levi as he points at the map. "Even a small scouting expedition beyond the Walls was given more preparation than this. We're about to send more people to their deaths after many watched their comrades die just days ago, not to mention Eren. He of all the Scouts needs the most time to recover and prepare." He runs a hand through his ink black hair. "I'm sure he blames himself for our losses."

Erwin considers his friend's words carefully. "I see your point. The Scouts, especially those from the 104th, have experienced a great deal in just a few shorts months. That being said, after all that's happened, I can only imagine how eager they are to have a chance at taking down the Titans once and for all." He touches the bandage that covers where a Titan ripped off his arm. "Whatever's in that basement must've been important enough for Dr. Jaeger to hide from even his own family. I'm counting on you and your new squad to find and bring back everything you find there. We'll need all the help we can get if we want even a prayer of winning now."

Levi didn't like how that sounded, but he knew better than to argue. Honestly, he is not even sure why he cares so much about the status of the cadets, but after watching them all come back in various states of injury, something inside him broke. So much war and destruction, so many losses, it is all starting to feel just a bit heavy on his shoulders.

"I'd like to pick my new squad," says Levi as he rolls up the map. They're going to study this until their eyes bleed and they can walk through the town blind.

Erwin nods. "Of course, I expected nothing else. I'm guessing you already have some Scouts in mind?"

Levi nods. "I do, and they're probably the best veterans we have."

* * *

"Sasha! Give me back my bread!" shouts Jean as he dives over the table at the red-haired girl with half a roll sticking out of her mouth. She cleverly slides out of the way just in time, and Jean falls feet over head onto the floor in a jumbled heap.

Connie laughs as Sasha stands up and does a victory lap around the table, grabbing a small wheel of cheese and a cup of water in the process. "Why would you even try, Jean?" asks Connie, tears in his eyes as he watches the taller boy recover himself enough to stand. "It was as good as hers the moment you turned your back."

"All I did was look at Armin for less than a second!" argues Jean as he hauls himself back up beside the blonde male in question. "If only she moved that fast when dealing with Titans."

Sasha rolls her eyes as she swallows the roll in almost one bite.

"If Titans were made of bread, I'm sure she'd be faster than Captain Levi," chuckles Armin.

"Now we can't have that," says Levi startling the cadets. They stare up at the platform above them; Hanji gives them a friendly wave while Levi just stares down at them.

They then race to stand and salute the officers. Levi waves dismissively. "At ease cadets, we don't have time for that crap." He looks around at those present: Jean, Armin, Historia, Sasha, and Connie. "Where're Ackerman and Eren?"

"They were right here," says Armin as he looks around the room for his two closest friends. "Maybe they went for a walk?"

Levi shakes his head in dismay. "Of all the times . . . Alright, I'll get them. You five stay here and don't leave." He jumps down gracefully from the top of the stairs and lands easily. "That's an order."

The five Scouts merely stare at him as he rushes out of the dining hall. Hanji shakes her head.

"I hope Eren isn't doing anything stupid," sighs Jean as he snatches a cracker from Sasha's plate.

Levi is practically grinding his teeth as he searches for Mikasa and Eren. The one time he needs Eren, of course, he's not there. That would be too damn convenient. He hopes neither of them is doing something that might get them killed or injured, the last thing he needs to deal with is paperwork and any possible setbacks for this new assignment.

"Leave me alone!" he hears Eren shout, and he breathes a small sigh. Thank the gods at least he isn't dead.

"You need to eat, Eren!" argues Mikasa and Levi tails the sound to a nearby hallway. He spies the two foster siblings about halfway down it, Eren standing with his fists clenched and Mikasa with her arms crossed tight against her middle.

"I'm fine," he argues, trying to turn tail but Mikasa's hand shoots out and grabs his fist.

"No you're not," she says, trying to sound calm but even Levi can hear the frustration lacing her voice. "If you were, you'd be up to eating with everyone."

Levi considers butting in and getting the two of them back to the dining hall, but he's mildly interested to see where this will go, so he leans against the wall and observes.

"Why does it matter, Mikasa?" asks Eren, sounding dejected and irritated. "I ate earlier; I just want to be left alone. Can you understand that?"

Mikasa lets out a small sigh, and Levi notices the tension around her eyes. "Yes, I can. I just don't want you to get into trouble. You tend to do something irrational when you're like this."

Eren opens his mouth to argue when Levi steps out of his hiding place and clears his throat audibly.

"Ackerman, I need you to report to the dining hall," says Levi calmly, his expression neutral as he begins walking towards them. "I'll keep an eye on Eren for you."

Mikasa eyes him suspiciously. She never trusted him alone with Eren after his display at the tribunal, but she is hardly in a position to disagree. Levi outranks her, and if he wanted, he could quickly pull rank and order her away from Eren. Not that she would obey without a fight. This is just Levi's version of a friendly suggestion.

"I'll be back," she says to Eren's back and then heads for Levi. The two share a firm look before she turns to the dining hall and he comes to a halt beside Eren.

"You don't have to watch me," says Eren sternly. "I'm not going to Shift over something as stupid as an argument with my sister."

"I know," says Levi as he calmly looks out at the green grass and pink flowers in the courtyard. "You're far more responsible than that."

Eren's bottle green eyes widen. _Did Levi just compliment me?_ "Thank you, sir," he says with as much dignity as he can muster.

"Now why are you behaving like a crabby child?" asks Levi, knocking the wind right out of Eren's sails. When he notices how quiet the Shifter is being, he prods his calf with the tip of his boot. "If you don't tell me, I'll just ask your sister, and I'm sure she'll give me some _very_ informative answers."

Eren pales at the thought and decides that telling Levi is better than having him listen to Mikasa's speculations.

"I can't stand it," he whispers as he leans against the stone rail in front of him. "I can't stand the way everyone looks at me." He waits for Levi to say something but when he does not, he continues, "I don't mean like a monster. Everyone now looks at me as if appraising me, trying to find my worth and if it did cost the lives of dozens of soldiers." He shuts his eyes and clenches his fists. "I want to show them that I am worth it, that those people didn't die in vain . . . But I'm useless! I've been kidnapped three times and have been unable to save myself. I can't even win in a fight against a Titan when I am one!"

Silence follows his words and for a moment he is worried that Levi is preparing to strike him down or left, but when he looks to his left he sees Levi staring pensively. The sight unsettles him a little.

"Then you'll need to prove it," says Levi after a few moments, "and not necessarily as a Titan either. You're most vulnerable to attack when you're human, so if you're going to prevent another kidnapping, you're going to need to learn to fight back." He looks down at Eren. "Your record says you were ranked second in hand-to-hand combat, which is nothing short of amazing considering you tend to lose yourself in your temper."

Eren's cheeks turn pink. _How can he praise and insult me in the same breath?_

"Your problem is you hesitate," continues Levi, noticing the pink but saying nothing about it. "Every time you've come up against an enemy, you lack the conviction to follow through with your attack, unless it's a Titan you know nothing about. When you fought Leonhardt, Braun, and Hoover you hesitated until the last second and then acted. You can't continue that pattern. You need to strike when you can and not a second later. Those people forfeited your friendship and loyalty the second you found out about their betrayal, speculated or not."

"Are you saying you'd have been able to kill Annie or the others without remembering who she was to you?" asks Eren curiously.

Levi nods without hesitation. "If anything, those memories would've served to fuel my anger and my resolve to wipe her out. They seemed to only serve as a source of conflict for you."

"I know," sighs Eren, rubbing the back of his neck. He's already been through this discussion time and time again with himself and his friends. "It was only when I thought about their actions as Titans that I could fight them. If they stayed human, I would've found it nearly impossible."

"I'm pleased to see you're aware of your faults," says Levi, at least sounding satisfied. "I'm going to have you start training to hone both your human and Titan fighting skills. You lack both, which makes you an unbalanced fighter. Does that sound reasonable?"

"Yes, sir," says Eren immediately. He would be a fool to disagree.

"Good," says Levi, putting a hand on Eren's shoulder and squeezing for a fraction of a second before letting go. "Now hurry up, I've got an announcement to make, and it's because of you going AWOL that I haven't yet."

Eren chuckles as he and Levi start walking. He tries not to notice how much the spot where Levi touched him burns while Levi pretends that the radiating warmth in his hand is not the result of touching Eren.

When they arrive, they find two tables flipped over on either side of the room with three people behind each one and Hanji in the middle, looking harried and concerned. Eren and Levi watch as Jean stands up and throws a handful of shelled walnuts at the other table, Mikasa leaps out from behind and knocks the nuts down with a sweep of a broom and Connie stands up to throw his ammunition—frozen grapes—at the others. Sasha jumps up from behind the table and promptly catches each one in her mouth before Historia comes up and throws pieces of bread and Armin throws peaches.

"What the hell is going on here?!" rages Levi, his grey eyes snap with an angry fire so intense that even Eren backs away from him, despite not being the one at fault.

Everyone in the room stops where they are, even Sasha stops chewing the grapes. All eyes are on the incredibly angry captain, and all have a sense of dread creep into their hearts.

"Hanji, answer me," says Levi, looking directly at the Titan obsessed officer.

Hanji pales as she tries to collect herself and her thoughts. "You see, Captain, the cadets, were just—"

"Slacking off," finishes Levi sternly as his eyes drift to each cadet in turn. "I'm not even gone twenty minutes, and you dissolve into madness." He takes a deep breath and uses that moment to steady himself. "This behavior is very unbecoming for members of Squad Levi, and I don't want to walk in on a scene like this in the future."

In the quiet that follows, a pin could be heard dropping on the other side of the room.

Eren's eyes shine with excitement. "You mean . . . we're now members of Squad Levi?!"

Levi tries not to smirk or even crack a faint smile, a task he finds almost impossible in the face of Eren's delight. "Yes, you are. I've chosen the seven of you to become members of my squad. This means you are the best of the best, veteran Titan killers, and experienced soldiers. There aren't any soldiers half as skilled as the seven of you."

"B-But," says Armin as he stands up, looking a little afraid to be speaking directly to Levi. Most of their interactions have been indirect or with Erwin present, "what makes you so sure of that? There have to be better soldiers than us." His eyes dart to Mikasa and Jean.

Levi's do the same before he points at Armin. "No one in the last five years has demonstrated your tactical brilliance." He points at Sasha, who gulps down her mouthful. "Your speed and intuition are second to none." He looks at Connie. "No one can move on the ODM as fast as you." He looks at Jean. "And no one can maneuver on the ODM gear like you, nor do they have your level-headedness." He looks at Historia, who shrinks back slightly. "You are a poet with a set of blades, clean and deep cuts every time and you've never failed to strike."

His eyes go to Mikasa who glares back at him. "I don't even have to tell you why I picked you, Ackerman, considering your kill count could rival even mine and Erwin's." He then looks at Eren who calmly meets his gaze, something he finds strangely reassuring. "And you, despite the halting progress of your training, I've never met a person so determined before and who can rally people behind a cause like you."

Eren's chest puffs out slightly with pride at the unabashed praise. It's incredibly rare for Levi to say anything positive to another individual and he's said something to Eren twice already. _Twice!_

Levi then looks back at the room. "Those are just a few of the reasons why I selected you for my squad. Disappoint me, and I won't hesitate to remove you, exceed my expectations, and I won't hesitate to promote you. Together, we will be the force that stops the Titans in their tracks. The Walls will not fall again, and we will be the ones guarding them. Nothing will get in our way, and no one can stop us!"

Slowly his words make their way through the room, and in moments, the cadets are cheering, clapping and crying as the reality of their situation hits them. Being picked to Squad Levi is a tremendous honor and tells the rest of humanity about their status as soldiers, but it also means they are the ones most likely to die and will always carry the weight of humanity's survival on their soldiers.

Levi looks out at his new squad with refrained fondness, he can't get too carried away with his compliments, but he needed to bolster their flailing morale and instill some confidence in them. His gaze slides to Eren, who is beaming at Armin and Mikasa. Eren, more than anyone else, needs to know that someone believes in him and by the power of the gods, Levi will do his best to ensure he never doubts himself again.


	2. Training can't Substitute the Real Thing

"Hurry up, Eren!" shouts Mikasa as she zips through the tree line on her ODM gear. "We only have three minutes to finish the course!"

Eren curses as he fires another line and uses more gas to propel himself to Mikasa's position almost twenty feet in front of him. This entire exercise feels impossible and like something straight out of an insane man's mind; considering it was Levi who came up with it, he is not too far off. The point is to travel the distance from Wall Maria to Eren's former house in under two hours, killing as many Titans as possible while staying alive. This is the fourth day of the exercise, and so far, they are no closer to beating it than they were on the first.

"How many Titans left?" he calls when they are parallel.

"Fifty-seven!" she replies before cutting into the fake one in their path. "Fifty-six!"

Eren fires off more gas, determination shining in his eyes. He knows he is about a half mile away from where his house is in this course and a rough idea as to where the Titans are. He just wants this to end. They have been stuck in this exercise for days on end, and each time they perform it, they seem to do worse and worse. This time, they have a chance to finally succeed, and he is going to be the one to do it. He glides past Mikasa just as she comes in contact with another Titan dummy. She looks up at him and sighs, she knows exactly where this is going and it is not going to end well.

Eren flies through the air, quickly evading the Titan dummies and flying past his other comrades as they fight through the horde. He smiles when he catches sight of the target and uses the last of his gas to propel himself forward. With a flip, he lands in front of the wooden door of the house Levi uses as a stand-in for the real thing and touches it.

"I did it!" he declares loudly and smugly. Behind him, he can hear his friends cheering, and moments later, Levi and Hanji propel in. He turns to them, a self-satisfied grin on his face, and is about to declare the exercise a success when Levi punches him squarely in the gut, causing him to go to his knees, the wind knocked out of his lungs.

"What the hell was that for?!" demands Jean as he, Armin, Mikasa, Connie, Historia, and Sasha land behind Eren. "He completed the course."

"He blatantly disregarded it!" says Levi angrily. Eren does not think he has ever seen the Captain so upset before. Levi's eyes find Mikasa's. "What the fuck did you say to him?"

Mikasa, who is being held back by Armin and Sasha, wastes no time in replying in the nastiest tone she can manage, "I told him we had three minutes left."

Levi rolls his eyes and hits Eren over the head. "You idiot! How many times do I have to fucking tell you to stop fixating on the time?! I give you the limit of a best-case scenario, not the overall expedition!" He shakes his head. "Well, I can't say I'm shocked that you failed. None of you shitheads has demonstrated any competence during this exercise."

This hits them harder than if Levi just decided to sucker punch them in the gut like he did Eren.

"We're not incompetent!" cries Jean, taking a step towards Levi. "We're trying our best to do this course, but you're the one with impossible standards! What Eren did was legitimate, it ended the exercise within the time given."

Levi looks as if he is ready to burn down the world and everyone in it. "This isn't a goddamn exercise! This is real! When we go to Wall Maria, this is what we should expect to encounter. If Eren pulled that stunt in the middle of the expedition, all of you would be dead and so would he! He used the last bit of his gas to get here and didn't even think to save any for the trip home." Levi gestures behind him at the abandoned village and forest. "This is just the first half of the fucking expedition; we haven't even gotten to the second half, which is to return to the top of the Wall unharmed and alive with the information!"

"Levi," says Hanji slowly, as if approaching an angry beast. "Levi, you're being too hard on them, they don't understand—"

"Damn right they don't," snaps Levi. "They don't stick to the formation, they don't make survival a priority, and they're too busy trying to protect themselves or others to do anything else." His eyes rest heavily on Mikasa. "The exercise is on hold until the seven of you can demonstrate that you aren't a bunch of incompetent cowards."

They all open their mouths to protest, but Levi holds up his hand. "I'm not in the mood to listen to whining, so save it for someone else. Report back to the base by sundown, I'll see you then."

He then uses his ODM gear to head back towards their base without so much as looking back at them.

"Where does he get off?" demands Connie, looking at Hanji who flinches. "We've been doing this stupid training ever since we got back from Wall Sina and all he ever does is criticize us. Doesn't he understand that we're trying?"

Hanji fidgets with her goggles as she tries to come up with some explanation for Levi's erratic and rather unbecoming behavior. She knew he was tough on his old squad and Eren to a certain degree, but she never saw anything like this. "I'm not sure," she says slowly, knowing that one false step with the cadets would likely lead to a mutiny or worse. "I know he's under extreme pressure from Command and Erwin to ensure that this expedition is a success, but I've never heard of him prioritizing a expedition's success over his squad."

"That doesn't explain all these drills and exercises and continually going over the plan," interjects Armin carefully. "It's not like we're going in there alone."

Hanji looks at the ground, staring at anything that is not the cadets.

"You mean . . . we won't have any backup?" asks Sasha quietly.

The Titan enthusiast nods. "Levi was going to get to this once he was sure you could handle yourselves, but I guess you should know that the nine of us are all that's going into the district. We'll have an escort going into Wall Maria, but the Scouts can't afford another expedition with mass casualties; so Erwin's decided that a smaller squad will have a better chance of retrieving the information and making it back." She looks down at Eren, who is now recovered from his earlier punch. "I'm sorry, I'm sure that's the last thing you wanted to hear."

Eren calmly meets her gaze. He can hardly say he is surprised by this turn of events, but it still hurts to hear. The squad is small because of all the people who needlessly lost their lives protecting him or coming to save him. This entire situation is his fault. His hand drifts up to the key laying against his sternum, warm from being against his skin. No, this is the Titans' fault; it's Reiner and Bertoldt's and Annie's fault. They started this war, and now he and Levi and the others are going to end it.

"You're right," he says as he stands up, a little shaky but he manages. "I didn't want to hear that, but I needed to. We all needed to hear that." He turns back to his comrades. "We have a choice to make right here and now. Do we follow Captain Levi or do we leave him high and dry? Do we save humanity or watch it fall to the enemy? We need to decide what we want to do and what kind of soldiers we want to be because if we don't, no one is going to win in this war except the Titans and I'll be damned before I let that happen."

He looks at his friends, his comrades, the people he would gladly give his life for and watches as one by one their faces reflect their souls, and he knows the choice they made. With a smile he extends his fist, and Mikasa does the same, touching hers to his, Armin follows suit followed by Jean and Hanji, Sasha is next and then Connie, Historia is the last after a few moments of hesitation, but Eren knew she would stand with the rest. She cared for humanity as much as the rest of them, and she would not let them down when the time came. None of them would.

* * *

The base is quiet when Levi enters the dining hall. The cadets are either in their rooms or still out with Hanji; he decides as he sits down at the wooden table where just a few months ago he and his original squad sat with Eren during those early days. He sits at the lower end of the table and stares at the empty seats. He can easily see Petra, Eld, Oluo, and Gunther sitting in those empty chairs. Petra would be sitting across from Oluo, getting on to him for his attitude or something he said while Gunther pestered Eld about recent kills and how they all compared to each other now. The man was always obsessed with statistics and regularly insisted on updating their records to reflect their achievements.

Levi rests his head in his hands, tearing his eyes away from the painful memory. They're all dead because of this stupid war, because of stupid Annie and Reiner and Bertoldt. They died because he failed to make the right decisions. Now history will repeat itself with this new squad, with Humanity's Squad, and he feels helpless.

He understands that he is pushing too hard and expecting them to understand everything he does when he has yet to explain anything. Levi can feel his emotions clouding his mind and creeping into his confidence. He is starting to lose his edge; his fears are beginning to take over and drown out his belief that they will succeed and they will find out how to save humanity from the Titans.

"Captain?" asks a voice and it pulls him from his thoughts. He looks up and sees Eren standing over him with two cups of hot tea in hand.

"Eren," he breathes, barely believing that he is standing there. He looks different somehow, calmer maybe.

Eren gives him a slight smile as he puts one of the cups in front of Levi before going to the other end of the table and sitting in the chair across from him. "I hope it's still hot," he says as he lifts the cup from the saucer. "I'm not sure how long it took me to steep the tea leaves, so it might be cold."

Levi nods as he picks up the porcelain cup by the rim with his fingers. He brings it to his lips and takes a tentative sip. The flavorful dark amber liquid touches his tongue, and he relaxes, it is brewed just the way he likes it, and he is mildly surprised that Eren knew how.

"Where are the others?" he asks as he puts the cup down.

"Their rooms," replies Eren as he looks at the candles burning above before he looks back at Levi. "Hanji smoothed things over with them."

Levi sighs quietly. It's not her job to explain his behavior, especially when he didn't even understand where this is coming from. "I'm sorry," he says, making sure to meet Eren's eyes. "I shouldn't have hit you like I did."

Eren shrugs. "And I shouldn't have tried to cheat the exercise. We were both wrong."

"Don't rationalize it!" snaps Levi, looking away from Eren, his eyes closed and teeth clenched in frustration. "Don't you dare make it okay, because it's not! I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have lost my temper over something you didn't understand."

Eren stares at the man who long ago earned his respect. The man always seems so cool and collected when in the field, but right now he seems broken and afraid. At this moment, Eren realizes that he is not speaking to Humanity's Strongest but Levi, the man underneath the legend.

"I'm not rationalizing it," says Eren quietly. "I'm accepting that I had some part in it. I decided to disobey the rules of the exercise because I was tired of it and I knew the others were too, and I was hoping to end it so we could move on." He looks down at his cup and sees his murky reflection. "We both did things we aren't proud of."

Levi looks up at him, his expression worn and his body sagging. "When did you get so damn mature?"

"I'm not, not really," chuckles Eren, a little awkwardly. "I just . . . I decided that I need to get over my pride and stop thinking about this as all about me. This war is bigger than me and will always be, and if we're going to win then things need to change, and one of those is me feeling sorry for myself. I'm not responsible for all those deaths, I didn't start this war, and I wasn't the cause of the attack." He looks at Levi, who seems intrigued. "They chose to chase after me, I didn't ask for their help, just like Petra, Oluo, Gunther, and Eld chose to fight Annie to save me. I didn't ask for it, but I won't let their choices be made in vain. I'll fight until my dying breath, and even then, I'll fight to breathe and keep fighting."

Levi can hardly believe that this is the same Eren who just a week and a half ago was lamenting how everyone looked at him like something to measure against the lives lost to save him. To say he is impressed is an understatement, to say he is as equally concerned goes without saying. Eren can be reckless, and when he is reckless, he makes terrible choices. He reflects on what Eren said about fighting to his dying breath and then still fighting despite being on death's door. It does not sit well with him; in fact, it almost makes him sick to think about. Levi takes a sip of his tea to calm his stomach and tries not to dwell on why the thought of Eren dying fills him with so much dread.

* * *

They're going to need a sound strategy if they are ever going to succeed at Levi's exercise and prove to him that they are capable of completing their expedition. Eren looks at the calendar beside his bed with the date of their expedition circled in black ink. They only have ten days before the expedition, and they are no closer to succeeding than they were when they started.

"What're you thinking about, Eren?" asks Armin as he enters Eren's room. Now that he knows how to control his powers, Eren was granted a room with the others on the second floor rather than being trapped in the basement. Having a room with a view is lovely.

"The exercise," replies Eren as he sits up in bed while Armin sits at the end.

Armin nods. "I've been thinking about it too. I think I have a plan, but I'm not sure about it."

Eren smirks. "That usually means it's pretty good."

"Maybe," says Armin cautiously as he pulls out several folded papers from his pocket. "I've been thinking about what Levi and Hanji said, about not having any backup and the points where we were screwing up."

"You mean how we weren't prioritizing survival, focusing too much on time, getting out of formation and stuff like that?" asks Eren and Armin nods. "What did you come up with?"

"Well, for one thing, we need to ignore Levi's time limit," says Armin and before Eren can protest, he holds up a piece of paper. "I did some calculations; two hours is impossible even in the best of circumstances. What we need to do is focus on meeting each objective to the best of our abilities, not on the time it takes to meet them." He holds up another piece of paper with more arithmetic on it. "Based on recent reports, there are approximately seventy-four Titans at any one time between your old house and the Wall. In this exercise, we've only averaged to kill thirty, and most of those were Mikasa. If we're going to get past even half of those Titans, we're going to need to stick to that formation Levi told us about: Mikasa in the center, behind her Jean on the right and Sasha on the left, followed by Connie on the left and me on the right behind them; with you and Historia in the center rear to make an open arrow. Honestly, it's a sound formation. We could effectively kill seven Titans if all of us managed to kill the ones we encounter."

Eren's eyes widen. He thought the formation was too restrictive, but to hear Armin explain it, there's some truth to it. "What about Levi and Hanji?"

"Hanji is on the left and Levi on the right outside of the formation," explains Armin as he brings down a piece of paper with the formation written out. "There's an unwritten plan in it too." He points at the spot where Eren is in the formation. "In case we get overwhelmed, you can turn into a Titan, and we can scatter. You'll be able to draw the Titans while we get into position to kill them. Then when you go back to normal, we'll protect you while you heal."

"Interesting," says Eren as he looks at the paper. "So the next time we do the exercise, we need to stay in this formation, right?"

Armin nods emphatically. "Absolutely." He then rubs the back of his neck. "We also need to make sure that Mikasa doesn't break away to try and protect you. I know she's worried about you, but it could compromise the expedition's success."

Eren nods his agreement. Armin makes a good point; Mikasa continually deserts the other Scouts in favor of coming to his rescue. If they are going to succeed, she needs to focus on the others instead of him.

"And if we stay in position, then our chances of survival are pretty high," continues Armin as he unfolds another paper. "Of course, we can deviate enough to save ourselves if necessary, but so long as we maintain at least the shape of this in our deviation, we'll be much safer."

"I like where you're going with this plan, Armin," says Eren approvingly.

Armin chuckles. "It's not my plan; it's Captain Levi's. I'm just demonstrating how it works so the next time we run the course, we don't screw up." He then pulls out a slightly detailed map of the course. "I've also been thinking about how we're going to get back because getting to your house is only half the battle." He points at the houses and trees. "We need to be conservative with our gas, we'll each get an extra canister but it would be better if we didn't use it until the final leg. Depending on how much is used, of course, one canister can realistically get us there. If we're conservative, we can make one canister last through one and a half journeys."

Eren nods as he looks at the map. "Then we need to find each strategic position where we should use the gas. Little puffs to get us propelled shouldn't be a problem, right? But those bigger moments should be saved for later and we should try to use our environment as much as possible." He runs a hand through his chestnut brown hair. "Fighting Titans without gas will be difficult, especially if we're going for speed."

Armin sighs. "I know. It's the biggest issue we have. I do have a half plan, which goes along with what you said about using our environment. When we get into town, we'll need to stick to the rooftops and high places, using our hooks to draw us in closer to the Titans when needed."

"That's more than half a plan," Eren teases, but he honestly likes Armin's thinking. "This plan can work, even though we both know that plans usually go to hell in the middle of battle. As long as everyone at least sticks to the basic outline and your suggestions, we should all at least survive."

"And that's what Captain Levi wants the most," says Armin happily. "How did your talk go with him?"

"Good," replies Eren, thinking about earlier when he brought Levi a cup of tea and apologized. "I apologized for cheating and he apologized for hitting me. I think we were both just frustrated with the situation."

Amin smiles. "You know, I think you're the only person here who understands his thinking. I mean Jean thought he was completely unfair and Mikasa was ready to kill him, and Connie thought he was out of line too. I think he terrifies Sasha and Historia, to be honest."

Eren chuckles. "He scared me at first too; he can be a bit intimidating, at least until he starts making you clean."

Armin shudders at the memory of their first night at the base, when Levi forced them to scrub the castle from top to bottom before they could have dinner. Sasha cried the entire time and had to keep redoing her sections to clean up the drool and tears.

"You're the only one who cleans to his standards, Eren," says Armin with a smirk.

"I've just done it before, you'll learn," says Eren with a shrug.

"You know, you're the only one he addresses by name," continues Armin. "He does address Erwin and Hanji by their names, but not the rest of us."

Eren's ears perk up at this observation. "Really? I never noticed."

"I guess you wouldn't agree, what with all the criticism he gives you," laughs Armin as he picks up his notes and the maps. "Anyway, we should probably let the rest of the squad in our this plan, and probably practice it a few times before we show Captain Levi."

"Yeah, I don't think I can handle another one of those punches," says Eren, absentmindedly rubbing the spot where Levi's fist connected.

Armin shrugs. "You've handled worse, and I think he was holding back. I saw what he did at the tribunal, and that was far worse than what you got today."

Eren shrugs as they both get off the bed. "You might be right, but it doesn't matter. I don't think Mikasa will forgive him so easily next time."

"What makes you think she's already forgiven him?"

"He's still alive, isn't he?"


	3. The Fruits of Our Labors

It takes three days of training before they are ready to officially try the course again. This time, they plan to have Hanji and Levi involved, something the latter is unprepared for when he approaches the starting point early that morning. He is more than a little surprised to see the squad pouring over a map and several pieces of paper, but he chalks it up to Armin's influence.

"Hey, why do I have to do this?" asks Levi as he accepts an extra canister of gas from Connie, strapping it to his belt.

"Because if this plan is going to work, we need everyone," replies Eren as he double-checks his belts and equipment. He then smirks at the Captain. "Unless you'd rather see us succeed without your help—"

"Alright, I get your point," huffs Levi as he adjusts his cloak. In all honesty, he is more than a little curious as to what his Scouts have been up to these last few days. Not once did they approach him for another trial but each morning since they set out before dawn towards the course and returned to base at sunset, utterly exhausted.

"Remember, keep a distance of five feet between each other," instructs Eren as he turns back to the squad. "We don't want another tangling incident. Armin, are your blades sharp?" The blonde boy nods and Eren smiles. "Jean, remember to use small puffs of gas, we can't have you running out before the rest of us. Historia, triple-check your harness. I don't want to see you half dangling from a tree again."

Historia's cheeks burn a bright red. "That was one time!"

"And it was one time too many," says Eren, winking at her. He then turns to Levi and Hanji. "I understand you haven't trained with us, but we're going with the Captain's original formation and plan with a few additions. I'm sure you'll figure them out as we go."

Hanji nods excitedly, and Levi narrows his eyes suspiciously at Eren. _When the hell did he become a leader?_

Eren then returns his attention to the squad. "If we're ready, let's get in position. We only have one shot at this, and I'm not keen on getting punched again."

Levi feels as if someone just punched him.

The others nod and form up just as Levi initially instructed. _What the hell is going on?_

Levi moves to the right and notices how determined the cadets appear. None of them seem afraid despite the fact this exercise is designed to potentially save them from their death.

 _No, block it out, this is just an exer—damn it, now I'm doing what I told them not to._

"Captain, give us the signal," says Eren, looking at him expectantly.

The Captain looks at the Titan Shifter, his impossibly green eyes sparkle in the early morning light and for some reason, Levi's stomach does a backflip. "Just go, brats," mutters Levi and the second the words leave his mouth the Scouts are in the air. It takes him a moment to realize what happened before joining them; to his left Hanji is already laughing like a madwoman, like she is in on their plan and just waiting for Levi to figure it out.

"Titans!" says Jean like this is the first time he's seen one. Levi can't fault him for acting; it's better to think of this as the first time than something routine.

"Blades up!" orders Eren, much to Levi's surprise.

 _Seriously, when the hell did they appoint him as their leader?_

The cadets bring up their blades and immediately break off from the formation, but only just slightly. Levi watches in amazement as nearly each Scout cuts down one of the dummy Titans before seamlessly coming together in formation. Part of him knows that in battle, it will not go this smoothly and will likely take longer, but another smaller part of him is proud.

"Eren, how soon to the first point?" asks Historia as she glances at her canister. It is then that Levi realizes the others did not use their gas during that "fight" whereas Historia did.

"Two clicks, Toria," replies Eren as he looks at their position. "Can you make it until then?"

"I think so," she says, sounding unsure but still confident. "I'm sorry, I forgot to use the trees."

"Don't worry about it," says Eren, moving to nudge the girl with his shoulder and Levi scowls for a moment. "Anyway, great takedown back there." He then looks at Levi with a wicked grin. "I'm surprised our fearless leader didn't jump in and show us all how it's really done."

Levi's scowl deepens, and he can feel his cheeks burn with something like an internal fire. "I just wanted to see if you could do it," he says sternly. "Don't get cocky, Eren. It was one time."

Eren looks even cockier. "Sure it was."

 _That damn brat. Where does he get off—wait, why am I even thinking about this?_

"Mikasa," says Eren, turning his attention back to the group. "Anything?"

"Three on the left and two on the right," she says, looking over her shoulder. "Get ready; they're deep in the trees."

"Jean, Connie, Hanji, take care of the left," shouts Eren and they nod. "Sasha and Armin, take care of the right. Captain, Toria, Mikasa, and I will cover you."

The other two nod and the five go sailing into the trees. Levi can't shake the feeling that he was replaced as he watches how effortlessly Eren gives commands and how readily the others follow them.

"Got mine!" shouts Jean before he rejoins the group. "Only used three puffs of gas with that thing."

Eren shakes his head, but he is grinning. "Anything's better than five. Good work. How were Connie and Hanji fairing?"

Moments later a shout rings out that sounds like Hanji's battle cry and Levi knows she managed to get her target. He sees her casually slide into place. "Wow! That was fun! I haven't run a course in years. Thanks for the tip about conserving gas, Jean."

Jean beams back at her. "No problem. Thought you might want to know the new strategy."

Just then Armin joins the group, his face is scratched up, and there are leaves in his hair, but he seems happy. "Got mine, Eren. Sasha stopped for a snack."

Eren rolls his eyes. "I told her to wait until we got to the gas point. Jeez, is she trying to be Titan food?"

Sasha swings in, crumbs on her face and a smile on her lips. "Lighten up, Eren, it was just a bite out of my sandwich."

"Fine," sighs Eren and then his gaze wanders to the left. "Where's Connie?"

Jean looks behind and shrugs. "He was doing fine with the dummy."

Eren scowls and then breaks formation, heading back towards Connie's previous position. Levi breaks off as well, following the would-be leader to see how he handles a situation like this one. They traverse the trees, Eren barely touching his gas button as he jumps from tree to tree, using his ODM cables to pull himself to each new target. Levi follows his example, astounded that they figured that part of the course out so quickly and are doing a fair job with the obstacles it presents.

"Eren!" shouts Connie and they turn to see Connie twisted up in a tree, his blades gone and several cables broken. "Eren, help!"

Levi watches as Eren shoots a line to the tree and lands beside Connie's head. Levi does the same, slightly amused but a little disappointed.

Connie breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods; I was starting to think—"

"Brace yourself," says Eren as he cuts at the cables in front of him. Connie lets out an undignified shriek as the cables break away and he almost falls. Eren lowers himself and gives the blade to Connie before turning so his back is facing the other boy. "Grab on and cut the line."

Connie seems skeptical and looks to Levi for advice as if expecting him to say something different.

"Either do it or die, brat," says Levi flatly and Connie nods reluctantly.

He wraps one arm around Eren's shoulders and then cuts the line with the other, freeing himself. Eren pushes off from the tree and releases his line, shooting it at a tree in front of him, and Levi follows after, more than a little impressed at how Eren handled himself. Weeks ago, the boy would've been freaking out and trying to come up with a plan that didn't involve wasted equipment. Now it seems like that hardly causes a bump in the plans.

They catch up with the group as they encounter ten Titans. Levi wants to sit back and watch, curious to see how Eren plans on handling this with Connie strapped to his back, but he wants to get back at him for that comment earlier. He immediately heads for the nearest Titan and slices the cushion effortlessly. Satisfied, he goes for the next one and then the following, until they pass the obstacle and regroup.

"What happened?" asks Mikasa, obvious worry in her voice.

"Connie pulled a Toria," replies Eren, eliciting groans from both individuals. "Anyway, we should be coming up to the gas point, get ready everyone. Remember, no more than three seconds on the triggers."

Levi cocks an eyebrow. "What about you? With the extra weight, you won't be able to go as high."

"I know," replies Eren with as best a shrug as he can manage in the circumstances. "I'll just take Connie's seconds and use six, that should account for the weight."

Connie shrinks on Eren's back, looking as pathetic as he probably feels.

"Hey, keep your head up," says Levi, looking directly at Connie. "You still took down your Titan, and you didn't panic, that right there is more than I've seen some people do."

Connie's frown quickly morphs into a tentative grin, like a god just spoke to him. "Thanks, Captain."

Levi shrugs. "Don't let it go to your head; you're still going to be the one who'll get those cables down from the tree once this is over."

Connie lets out a wail of protest and Eren laughs. The barest hint of a smile graces Levi's lips at the sound.

* * *

The rest of the mock expedition begins to fall into a slight routine. They travel in formation, fight the Titans they encounter, Eren shouts out orders periodically, they get to a point where they use their gas, and keep going. Levi appreciates the simplicity of this plan. It allows for quick changes and adaptation, two things that are essential and almost absolute when dealing with Titans. When something unexpected does happen, like one of Armin's gears coming to a screeching halt, the cadets keep their heads and deal with it then and there; in that instance, they had Sasha put on a spare she brought with her, and she did the transfer in less than a minute. Considering how well it is doing, she likely did it correctly.

Levi glances over at Eren. He finds it difficult to believe that in three days, he's gone from someone only thinking with his power and temper to someone thinking about the expedition as a whole and breaking down each moment to ensure they live to see the next one. If anything, he expected Mikasa or Jean to take control of the group and be the one who led them into battle. Not that he's complaining. It's almost refreshing to see Eren taking a more active role rather than settling for being a tank or pouting about his circumstances. Levi feels warmth in his heart as he looks at the Shifter, something he quickly tries to bury but the feeling still lingers.

Finally, they arrive at the spot that represents Eren's house and they quickly form up, with Jean and Sasha taking to the roof of the building next to it and Historia and Hanji going across the street. Armin, Mikasa, Eren, Levi, and Connie all stand at the door.

"Alright, we have ten minutes," says Eren as he looks at the squad. "Everyone, check your gas! Connie, if anyone's really low, give them your primary one. We'll save your spare. Armin, double-check your repair. Also, hand me your bag, I want you to take Connie and get out of range."

Armin seems reluctant, but nods and Connie looks relieved and a little upset that his earlier screw up is costing Eren an extra man, but he is hardly in a position to complain. Levi watches as Armin takes the empty bag tied to his back and hands it over to Eren, who slings it over his shoulder.

"We're counting on you," says Armin solemnly before Connie latches onto his back and they go sailing to the nearest rooftop.

"What do you need me to do?" asks Levi, a little curious.

Eren thinks for a moment and then tosses Levi the bag. "You can carry this." He then kneels down in the dirt, opens his bag, and begins to put rocks in it. "Since we don't know what to expect in the basement, we're putting ten pounds of rocks in the bags, which won't throw off our weight and our gas use."

Mikasa immediately follows suit and Levi watches as they pile rocks in their bags. Ten pounds isn't much, but it's a reasonable estimate given they do not know how much is waiting for them in Eren's basement. He follows suit and kneels down in the dirt in front of Eren, collecting as many rocks as he can get his hands on. It barely registers in his mind how many times his hand and Eren's brush against each other.

When the bags are full of ten pounds worth of rocks, they throw them securely over their shoulders and use their gear to pull them up to the rooftops to join the squad.

"Alright," says Eren as he looks at the other cadets. "Now the hard part, getting back home. Remember, conserve your gas, just because we can get a new canister doesn't mean we can needlessly waste what we already have." He looks at Armin. "Do you think you can carry Connie back or should someone else?"

Armin shakes his head. "That's not necessary; I already gave him my equipment to use. I'll need to catch a ride with someone."

This seems to irritate Eren just slightly but he plays it cool and nods, probably deferring to Armin's tactical brilliance. "Fine, Toria can take you." He looks at the girl in question. "Is that a problem?"

Historia smartly shakes her head. "No, he's not as heavy as he looks."

Jean and Connie snicker while Armin looks deflated.

"How's everyone else's equipment?" asks Eren, looking at the others.

"We're all set, Eren," says Jean, taping his belt for emphasis. "You ready to head out?"

Eren nods and then turns to face the direction they came from. "Alright, let's get going."

He shoots his line for the nearest tall structure and pulls himself forward, the rest of the squad does the same, and soon they are gliding through the air. There are fewer Titan dummies in the abandoned village, but Eren and the others quickly dispatch what are there while Levi watches. Even now, he can hardly believe that these are the same cadets who, just a few days earlier, were only focused on time limits and completing the course. This group of Scouts almost seems like different people.

"Eren, what's the plan now?" asks Levi as they continue to glide over broken roofs and buildings.

"Make it back to base without getting killed or wasting gas," he replies over the rush of the wind. "Unless you plan on ending the expedition now?"

Levi scoffs. "As if I would; you brats aren't going to get out of this so easily."

Eren smiles and gives himself a slight burst of his gas, propelling himself forward. Levi takes a moment to observe him as he goes past, noticing how the sun glints off his chestnut brown hair and parts of it look blonde in the light and how his eyes are now a brilliant shade of green that can almost put the grass to shame. His eyes fall on that smile that broad and pleased grin that is so damn happy Levi finds himself almost returning it. He has to bite the inside of his cheek to prevent it from forming.

In what feels like mere minutes, they are back in the forest, and everyone stops for a moment to assess their canisters. Levi looks at his and is surprised when he sees he has about a third of it left; he looks at Eren and Armin as they compare his to Historia's. Apparently, they are excited about how much is remaining and promptly high-five. Levi cannot feel but a tiny, small, micro bit jealous of how easily they interact.

Mikasa, Jean, and Hanji head into the forest when they are sure of their gas and equipment, followed by Connie. Eren smiles when he sees this and looks back at the others.

"C'mon!" shouts Eren as he fires off his cables. "We're almost there! Keep to the formation."

Levi does the same. "Hurry up! We're supposed to have beef in our stew for dinner tonight."

"Yahoo!" shouts Sasha as she hurriedly shoots her line and follows behind Levi and Eren, almost tearing them down in her frenzy. She blows past both of them, her blades extended and they both have to move to get out of her way.

"You should know better than to mention food," teases Eren as Levi recovers his balance from his encounter with the human garbage can.

"I thought it would be a good motivator," calls back Levi and Eren simply laughs. This time, Levi indulges himself and smiles slightly.

Suddenly a shriek pierces the calm, and they both look ahead to see three actual Titans standing in the trees. Levi's eyes widen. _How the hell—leftovers, from the previous attack!_

"Eren!" he calls and looks at the other male, who already has his hand in his mouth. "Eren, don't you fucking dare Shift! We don't know where everyone else is; you might accidentally break a line or something! We're too closed in up ahead."

Eren seems reluctant, but he nods and puts his hand down. If Levi hadn't seen it, he sure as hell wouldn't have believed it. Eren listened, without an argument.

"Let's go then!" he says and uses a puff of gas to propel himself forward.

Levi cannot agree more and follows after the Shifter. While this is certainly not what he expected, he can hardly argue with the opportunity to see how this formation and their plan works in a real battle. He can only pray that the outcome will be favorable.

He falls in line beside Eren as they head for the nearest Titan. It is a 12-meter class and seems slow if its bulbous head and scrawny body are any indications of intelligence. Levi stares at the Titan and recalls Hanji's theory about Titans being humans . . . He wonders how true that is as he glances at Eren, one of four people who are known Titans. If he, an average looking human can become one . . . Could they all someday be turned into Titans? And what about the people already Titans; how much of their humanity did they retain in their transformation? They all seem so mindless and stupid. Is there even a human left in that husk?

"Levi, look out!" shouts Eren and Levi looks up just in time to see a large hand come at him. He releases his cables and falls beneath it before shooting off his cords again to get around the Titan.

 _Stop thinking so much! This won't help anything. Just kill the damn thing and get it done._

Levi lands on a branch and stops for a moment to catch his breath. He can hardly believe that he was so out of it he didn't even see the hand coming right at him. How pathetic.

Eren lands beside him. He tries to pretend that he isn't there but it's impossible when he can feel the other's eyes boring into him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," snaps Levi, looking at him and wishing he hadn't; Eren's eyes are full of concern and seem even wider than usual. He also appears unbearable close, almost suffocating Levi with his proximity. "What are you waiting for? Go kill that thing!"

Eren hesitates for a moment, as if unsure whether or not he should listen.

"Eren, I'm fine," he repeats, making sure to maintain eye contact and to sound sincere.

"Then we'll do it together," says Eren with a smug grin and this time, Levi has no trouble in letting him see the smile on his face.

"Together," he agrees, and they leap down from the branch, their cables going out to the nearest trees as they draw their blades and prepare for their attack on the Titan.

Levi swings effortlessly around the Titan while Eren does his best to avoid the lower branches of the nearby trees. Levi chuckles to himself as he watches Eren, even though he's been in the Corps for a while, there is still a great deal he needs to learn.

"Eren, I'll distract it, you take it out!" shouts Levi before he can stop himself. When was the last time he gave some a kill rather than an assist?

Eren seems to be just as confused, but he does not question the order, not this time, and is quick to change his course to going behind the Titan. Levi makes sure to stay in the Titan's line of sight, keeping it off of Eren, and picks up his blades before attacking the Titan. He goes for the arms first and slices both of them off at the elbow then deftly moves out of the way while Eren picks himself up on his cables and begins spinning in the air like a top with his blades moving wildly. Levi watches as he turns towards the Titan's nape, sunlight reflecting off his twin blades as they move with him. He almost looks ethereal.

The Titan lets out a slight roar as Eren's blades make contact with its nape and it goes to the ground moments later, steam pouring from its injuries from Levi. Eren cheers as he lands on a tree nearby and Levi looks up at him, never has he seen the Shifter so excited, so happy. He feels a strange twinge in his chest when he thinks about how he gave him that happiness.

"All Titans are down!" announces Hanji from a tree across from them. "It looks like your hunch about these cadets was right, Captain. They took them down like champs!"

The rest of Squad Levi comes sailing through the trees, some covered in quickly evaporating Titan blood and overall looking relieved. Eren is still beaming from his second Titan kill. Overall, the cadets are in good shape, if a little shaken, and just proved the point Levi was trying to make to them initially regarding his plan.

"Good job," says Levi, earning startled looks from the others. "Listen, I know you're eager to finish the expedition, but I think in light of your tremendous achievement today, we can cut it short. From here on, just focus on getting back to base, don't worry about the dummies. You took down three real Titans, so it's safe to say this formation and plan works well. Now I just want to see if you can get back efficiently."

The cadets all nod and moments later, they take off on their cables, sailing towards the base. Levi stays behind, ensuring that there are not any Titans still in the area before he follows after. He glances down at the smoldering bodies beneath him and feels his stomach churn. Those were humans at some point, and now, they're steaming piles that will soon be reduced to nothing. A shudder crawls up his spine.

* * *

The rest of the exercise runs smoothly, and they do not run into any more Titans, something they are all grateful for. When they arrive at the base, it is near sunset, so they immediately head to the dining hall and are pleased to find bowls of stew and freshly baked bread already sitting on the table. They tuck in and in no time at all, the food is devoured, and the cadets are already talking about going to bed. Levi dismisses them for the evening and they all hurry to their rooms, except for him, he stays sitting at the table.

Levi waits until he hears the last footstep leave the room before he lets out the sigh he has been holding in for some time. That skirmish was tough. Not the enemies themselves, they were lower classed and relatively easy, no it was the knowledge he now possessed that made it difficult. They took three human lives today, three humans died. They might look like monsters and act like monsters, but at their core, they were human just like him. His mind wanders to Eren, the man who could shift between monster and human with just a bite to his hand.

Is he any less human because of what he can do? Is he a monster or a man? Does it even matter? He already vowed to take Eren down if he went rogue, just like any other Titan, but that's just it, there isn't much of a difference. At least, he is quickly losing the ability to see the clear line between the two groups. Now, all he sees are people forced to be monsters.

"Penny for your thoughts?" says a voice and he starts out of his mind to see Eren standing beside him with two cups of tea.

"They're worth more than that," mutters Levi as Eren sets down a cup in front of him before going to the opposite end of the table. Levi watches him intently, looking at him, no one could believe that he's capable of turning into a Titan. "Why are you sitting down there?" he asks before he can stop himself.

Eren looks up from his cup and then down at his seat. "This is where I always sit."

"It's ridiculous to do it when we're the only two here," says Levi with a shrug and an air of indifference. "Sit your ass closer." He puts a hand on the seat to his right.

The Shifter nods and relocates to the seat Levi indicated.

"What're you doing here?" asks Levi once Eren is settled again.

"I thought you could use a cup of tea," replies Eren simply.

"This is the second time you've done this," continues Levi as he picks up his teacup by the rim. "Are you trying to get something out of me?"

Eren immediately shakes his head. "Not at all, I just . . . thought you could use the company . . . I'm sorry."

Levi cocks an eyebrow. "What are you sorry for? Do you regret doing this?"

Again, Eren shakes his head.

"Then don't be sorry," says Levi sternly.

Silence falls between them, and they sip their tea quietly. Levi wonders what Eren is thinking about and Eren wonders the same about Levi, neither one daring to break the silence in case they did or said something wrong. Finally, Eren decides that he has had enough of the quiet.

"Why do you hold your teacup like that?" he asks, indicating the way Levi is holding the rim instead of the handle.

Levi looks down at his cup and hand. It is a strange way of doing something he reasons as he looks at Eren, who is holding his cup by the handle. "I've always done it," replies Levi and then he sees disappointment flit across Eren's face like he expected a better explanation than that. Well, there is. Levi sighs and sets the cup down before leaning his arms on the table, looking directly at Eren. "How much do you know about my past before I came to the Corps?"

"Very little," Eren replies honestly. "Petra mentioned something about Erwin dragging you kicking and screaming to the Corps but not much else."

He snorts; of course, she would say that. "I'm from the Underground below Wall Sina."

Eren's reaction is a simple nod like it is a perfectly normal location for a child to grow up. _Maybe he is just trying to make it normal, so I won't stop talking._

"I was poor, dirt poor," continues Levi, a weight settling in his chest as he looks back on his childhood. "I grew up with very little and what I had, I stole. I wasn't proud of it, I knew my mom would be disappointed if she knew, but I couldn't help myself." He remembers running for his life with a hunk of day-old bread clutched in his hand, praying that today was not the day they caught him. "Anyway, I saw this china shop one day and in the window were these beautiful tea sets. They were simple, but to me they were extravagant." He looks at the white cup in front of him, simple with a blue pattern on the side; even this is more sophisticated than the one he owned as a child. "I wanted one. I really wanted one. Whenever I passed the homes of wealthy people, or at least people wealthier than me, I always saw a tea set sitting somewhere in view. I thought if I had one, I wouldn't look as poor anymore." He lets out a derisive snort. "The foolish fantasies of a child."

"It doesn't sound foolish to me," says Eren quietly and Levi looks at him in surprise.

Levi eyes him carefully, wondering if he's making fun of him or not. When he decides Eren is sincere, he shrugs. "Anyway, I decided that I would get one and I wouldn't steal it. Something that nice, I wanted to say I owned and earned, so I went to work. I worked odd jobs around the city, doing whatever I could until I could afford the tea set and a box of black tea." His eyes briefly drop to the black tea in his cup. "Well, the day finally came, and I went into that shop with my head held high and bought a simple white tea set with gold on the rims and a silver tin of tea leaves.

"Walking back home, I felt like an aristocrat. I thought I was finally becoming better than I was." He chuckles. If only his nine-year-old self knew. "When I got home, I carefully washed each piece and dried them by hand before I filled a kettle with water and leaves and put it on the stove. Gods, I was so happy and so eager to finally try an expensive tea. The time came to add the tea leaves and let it steep . . . I can still smell it, even now. It filled my house with this warm aroma, and I thought, _This is what being rich smells like_. Anyway, the tea was finally ready, so I carefully, carefully filled my teapot with my freshly brewed black tea and sat down at the table. I didn't have any cream or sugar, but that didn't bother me, I had tea, and it was from a silver box, so it hardly mattered that I didn't have the real staples of being wealthy. I poured myself a cup and slowly brought it to my mouth and . . ."

"And?" asks Eren, almost literally on the edge of his seat. "What happened?"

The light leaves Levi's eyes, and shadows settle in its place. "The handle broke." He shakes his head. "My new teacup broke, and I was horrified." He runs a hand through his hair and just chuckles quietly for a few moments. "I remember being so upset," he says after a while. "I felt cheated, like the gods were committed to making my life hell. Luckily, the cup didn't break, but the handle, I could never repair." He then picks up his teacup. "Which is why I learned to hold my cups like this. That way, I know it will never break unless I let go."

Eren watches as he takes a sip of his rapidly cooling tea and looks down at his cup. Growing up, he never had to worry about where his next meal would come from, or if he would have new clothes, he never had to save up for anything essential unless it was something he deemed essential like a book or a toy. His mother owned a beautiful tea set, cream-colored with pink roses, and he never thought twice about it. Now, he would give anything to see that tea set again, because it meant his mother was home and preparing afternoon tea for his father.

Carefully, he reaches for his cup and picks it up like Levi, fingers on the rim and takes a sip. It is not as difficult to do as it looks. When he puts the cup down, he notices Levi staring at him with a curious and slightly hesitant expression.

"Thank you, for telling me that," he says, giving the Captain the best smile he can manage against the lump in his throat.

Levi's eyes widen a fraction, and for a split second, he seems genuinely touched by Eren's words and gesture before his mask falls back into place. "Yeah, well, thanks for listening and not interrupting."

They sit in companionable silence, drinking their tea until the moon is high in the sky.


	4. Playing With Fire is Not for the Weak

Eren lands with a thud in the ground, groaning slightly as he props himself up on his elbows. That hurt more than he thought it would.

"Pathetic," says Levi as he looms over Eren, making the other man feel small in comparison. "I thought you were supposed to be good, Eren. I heard you took down the Armored Titan with just a few holds."

"I did," says Eren as he rubs the back of his head. "It's just a little different doing it with a human." What he means is it's different doing it with Levi.

Levi rolls his eyes and offers Eren his hand. "Get up already. You can heal faster than any of us, so quit being a baby about it."

Eren barely manages not to glare at his superior and takes his hand; together they haul him back to a standing position. Their hands linger in each other's for a fraction too long before they finally drop them. Eren's been noticing this for a while, ever since they returned from their mock expedition; the looks he and Levi share last just a little longer than they should, they touch each other subtly but frequently when given a chance, and most if not all of their free and training time is spent together.

Like now, for instance, they are the only ones out in the courtyard training in hand to hand while the others are with Hanji, testing out new modifications to their ODMs. When he asked why, Hanji explained that she wanted to see if everything he learned was retained as a Titan, so Levi was instructed with teaching him new fighting techniques before he is expected to demonstrate later that day. It sounded strange then too.

"Where's your head at, Eren?" asks Levi when he notices the distant look in the other's eyes. They've been at this for a couple of hours now, and it is only natural that his attention is starting to wander.

He averts his gaze from Levi's bare torso to the dirt beneath his boots. "I guess I'm just confused," he says honestly, and he is. "Wouldn't it just be easier to give me orders in Titan form than to go through this?"

Levi shrugs. "Maybe, but I don't want to try and teach you something in the middle of a battle when you might need that information in a split second. You used skills you already knew when you went up against the Armored Titan, so it's only logical to teach you something new and see how well you fare." He notices that Eren seems far from reassured. "What else is bothering you?"

This time Eren does not speak up.

Levi barely bites back a groan as he closes the distance between them and puts his hands on Eren's bare shoulders. "Eren, look at me," he says sternly, and the other boy hesitantly meets his eyes. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on in that head of yours. It's one of your fatal flaws, you get too into your head and lose focus."

 _Right now, all I can focus on is how close you are_. "Sorry," mumbles Eren as he attempts to break eye contact, only for Levi to shake him until their eyes meet again. Having him so close is a little overwhelming, especially since Eren is not entirely sure why he finds being near Levi so distracting.

"Let me help," says Levi stubbornly. He is not about to let their biggest asset become their biggest liability.

Eren closes his eyes and blurts out the first thing that comes out of his mouth, "What if I lose control?"

Levi blinks for a couple of seconds as the words sink in. _So he's legitimately concerned about something. Damn_. "You mean like when you attacked Ackerman?" asks Levi wanting to make sure they are both on the same page concerning this topic.

"Yeah," replies Eren with a shaky breath. He wants this over with because he can't take Levi looking at him so intensely or having him touch him. His eyes dart to the pale hands connected to the man in front of him; they haven't moved since he put them there.

"Do you think you will?" asks Levi slowly.

"I'm not sure," replies Eren softly. "I've only been in control of my Titan self when I fought the Armored Titan; everything else was running on instinct or memory. Like when I fought the Female Titan, I was fighting based on rage, and then when I went in for the kill, I hazily remembered who she was and stopped." He swallows hard. "What if it happens again? What if I forget myself and try to hurt someone?"

There is a beat between Eren's question and Levi's brain formulating a response.

"I won't let that happen," says Levi firmly, his hands unconsciously increasing their grip on Eren's shoulders. "Listen to me Eren; you are more in control than you give yourself credit. You know your triggers, you know your goals, and you have yet to fail. Yes, it might not go as smoothly as you'd like, but you can't let your fears overwhelm you." His grip tightens even more and Eren wonders if there will be bruises later. "If you're still worried, then know that I'll be the one to help you if you do lose control or start to act strangely."

Silence falls between them after Levi finishes and he wonders if he said something wrong. He looks at Eren for any indication that he is offended or still upset but the other man's face is impassive, and it frustrates him immensely. He looks into Eren's eyes, bright green, like a spring day and he notices small flecks of gold. He sees faint freckles across his cheekbones and nose, just slightly darker than his already golden skin. It finally dawns on him exactly how close they are, and he releases his hold on Eren as if he was suddenly burned; in a way, it certainly feels like he was, given how the warmth of Eren's skin lingers on his hand.

"Will you kill me?" asks Eren so quietly Levi almost misses the question and when he realizes what he asked, he wishes he hadn't heard.

"No," replies Levi just as quietly and Eren's breath stutters in his chest. He fully expected the answer to be the complete opposite.

"Why not?" asks Eren, genuinely curious.

"Because you're human," replies Levi with a small smirk, "and I only kill Titans."

Eren's face almost splits in half with the smile that stretches across his lips, tugging a half smile from the ordinarily deadpan captain.

"Hey, there!" shouts Hanji suddenly as she approaches from the left entrance, leaves in her hair and her goggles slightly askew.

Eren and Levi practically jump apart, both praying that Hanji did not hear or see anything from their earlier exchange.

"Hi Hanji," says Eren, his voice cracks slightly but he covers it up with a cough. "How was training?"

"Great," she gushes as she comes to stand beside Levi, putting her arm on top of his head before he promptly knocks it off. "Your friends are fast learners, Eren. Even Armin and Historia understood how the new modifications worked after just two quick demonstrations."

Eren beams. "When push comes to shove, they always come through."

Hanji nods in agreement. "I have no doubt. How did your training go?"

"He did well," says Levi before Eren can even formulate a response. "I think he's ready to try it out in Titan form."

"Wonderful!" says Hanji excitedly. "A Titan that listens to human command! And if we can reawaken that power where you controlled the Titans . . . We'll have the war won in no time! The possibilities are endless. I can't wait to see how your armor works, too!"

Eren rubs the back of his neck nervously. He is still not entirely comfortable with the idea that he was the one who ordered the other Titans to attack Reiner and Berthold; especially now that he is expected to not only fix the hole in Wall Maria but to single-handedly get rid of the Titans, thanks to his new power. Lives are resting on his shoulders, hundreds of thousands of lives, and he has to carry that burden alone.

Suddenly something claps on his shoulder, and he looks to see Levi's hand resting on it, and he follows it up to Levi's face, which has returned to its normal unreadable state.

"Hey Four Eyes, rein in the excitement," says Levi firmly. "We need to focus on figuring out if Eren can even take orders as a Titan. After that, we can work on the rest."

Eren gives Levi a small relieved smile. He wanted to say something similar and has every time someone brings up his new responsibilities as Humanity's Titan, but at the same time he doesn't want to disappoint anyone and suddenly be useless. He already feels useless as a soldier.

"Right," says Hanji, her enthusiasm not even dampened slightly. "I've been working on that sample of crystal armor I got from Annie and Wall Sina. I'm trying to see if there's a way to replicate them without relying on Titans."

"Any luck?" asks Eren. While almost everyone else runs the second Hanji starts talking about her experiments, Eren is her captive audience. He wants to know more about this power he controls and what he can and can't do with it. He wants to know about the other Titans like him and find the similarities and differences. He wants to try and use this power to better humanity instead of hinder it.

"None yet but I'm getting close to a breakthrough, I can feel it in my bones!" she declares with a wide glowing smile. "Now, we should proceed with today's experiments. We'll go to the usual field, and you'll transform. I want a complete transformation today, no half-assed stuff like with the spoon."

Eren nods solemnly. This will be the first time since returning from Sina that he has transformed and he does not want it to fail him now, not when he needs to prepare for this incredibly important expedition.

"Levi, will you be attending?" asks Hanji as if she already doesn't know the answer.

"Of course," says Levi as he removes his hand from Eren's shoulder. "I want to make sure he listens to me as well as you."

"By that logic, we should have the rest of the Squad out here," teases Hanji as she and the two men head out of the courtyard towards an open area just outside of the castle's perimeter.

"Why do you think my emotions clouded my thinking before, Hanji?" asks Eren as they walk. His eyes discreetly slide over to Levi, whom he notes is still shirtless, like himself.

"I think that has to do with the intensity of whatever you were feeling the moment you transformed," explains Hanji with an air of curiosity, as if she is not sure herself. "When you first became a Titan, you were angry. The second time, you were angry and overwhelmed, which might be why you lashed out. The third time, you were angry and betrayed. The fourth time, you were angry but calm. You had time to fully process the betrayal before you transformed and it was because of this that I believe allowed you to maintain your sense of self. Right now, you're calm, so you should be yourself once you transform but if we need to get you angry, we will." She looks over her shoulder at Levi, smirking. "I don't think we'll have to resort to that, but we're ready, just in case."

They come to a stop in the middle of the grassy field. Eren takes the hint and walks another few feet away from Hanji and Levi. He turns to face them and brings his hand up to his mouth, trying to think of a clear goal. _Transform to help Hanji study Titans_. He desperately wants to be of help, and he is willing to just about anything to prove his worth, even if that means subjecting himself to Hanji's strange tests. He opens his mouth and bites down on his hand, cutting through the skin, and blood floods his mouth. Not even a second later, he can feel his body changing.

He has only been aware of the change twice and this time feels similar to those. Sinew, bone, and flesh are blossoming around him as he shoots fifteen meters in the air, his nervous system connecting with that of his Titan. What feels like minutes later, but are actually seconds, he opens his eyes and sees the horizon and their base. He looks down and sees two small people.

 _Hanji and Levi_.

Even so far away from the ground, Eren can still hear Hanji's excited squealing and Levi's exasperated sigh.

"Eren!" calls Hanji when she recovers her composure. "Can you kneel down so we can see your face?"

Eren nods and does as he is told, kneeling down on the ground in the direction of Hanji and Levi. Again, Hanji squeals and Levi holds her cape to prevent her from running over to Eren.

"Calm down, Four Eyes," says Levi flatly. "You can't go having an orgasm every time Eren transforms."

Hanji sighs and nods. "I know, but it's so cool to see a Titan listening to a human!"

"Eren is a human," says Levi quietly and Hanji's excitement is immediately doused.

"You're right," she says softly. "He is. So I shouldn't be surprised that he would listen to me." She shakes her head and then takes a step forward; Levi lets go of her cape. "Eren, I know you can hear me. I would like you to demonstrate a couple of the fighting techniques Levi taught you today. Nothing fancy."

"Eren," shouts Levi and Eren looks at him. "Three roundhouse kicks and a mawashi-zuki."

"What the hell kind of move is that?" asks Hanji and all Levi does is smirk as Eren stands back up.

"Watch and see, Four Eyes," says Levi cryptically.

They both watch as Eren takes up a fighting stance and brings his right foot up with a swing, striking the air before be brings it back down. He does it two more times before returning to his resting stance. Then he takes a step forward and makes like he is grabbing someone by the elbow and then brings his other hand up like he is about to strike a person in the head. He holds this position for a couple of seconds before returning to his original position.

"Now, I want to see some holds!" orders Levi, making sure he is loud enough so Eren can hear him without needing to kneel.

Eren nods and goes to his knees, imitating a stance he remembers from his practice with Levi; he puts one of his knees into the ground and the other he brings up to his chest, as if he is kneeling on someone. One of his hands goes into the ground in front of his downed knee as if pinning someone and then brings up his other hand as if holding their arm up in the air. He twists his hand around the imaginary arm and then brings it to what would have been a person's back, pinning the arm against it.

He looks down at Levi, who nods and then he continues to demonstrate several holds he can do from that one position until Levi gives the signal to do something new. Eren nods and proceeds to roll to his side, hooking his legs around the invisible person's waist and squeezing before proceeding to lift his legs and doing a somersault with his legs still hooked around his imaginary opponent. The ground trembles as he rolls around but Hanji and Levi continue to stand and watch, even at the risk of falling over. They need to see what Eren is capable of and so far, he is not disappointing them.

"Did you teach him those?" asks Hanji as she watches Eren move into a joint lock on what she assumes is an invisible leg.

Levi nods. "I did. I knew he'd pick it up fast; he scored just below Annie Leonhart in hand to hand while they were in basic. I figured they would be similar enough to what he learned that he wouldn't struggle with them."

"You're getting better at this mentor thing," says Hanji cheekily, earning herself a hard punch in the upper arm.

"Shut up, Four Eyes," snaps Levi without looking at her.

Hanji smirks. Personally, she enjoys seeing Levi loosen up and he only does so when dealing with Eren. She turns her attention back to the Shifter, watching as he continues to demonstrate his newly learned moves.

The exercise progresses for another hour with Eren doing increasingly more difficult routines per Hanji and Levi's directions. He follows each one to the letter, even throwing in his own moves when he believes it to be useful, which earns him praise from Hanji for showing that he can adapt in battle.

"Good job, Eren!" says Levi encouragingly after he demonstrates a more difficult series of moves.

Eren's Titan nods in Levi's direction, his indication that the creat—Eren understands him completely. He looks to Hanji. "Is there anything else you need to know, Four Eyes or can Eren come out now?"

Hanji slightly cocks an eyebrow at Levi's tone and question. It almost sounds . . . protective and maybe just a little possessive? She shrugs it off and shakes her head. "There are other tests I want to run, but that can wait until tomorrow. Maintaining this form is probably taking a lot out of him, given how long it's been since he last went Titan. We should get him out and get him to bed."

"Food then bed," mutters Levi and Hanji's eyebrows almost go straight to her hairline. _When did Levi become concerned about Eren's well being?_

"Sounds reasonable," says Hanji and then she gestures to Eren. "You're done! You can come out now!"

The Titan nods and then goes to its knees. They stand and wait for the usual bath of steam to erupt, their indication that Eren is getting out, but it does not come. They wait a little longer, and when nothing happens, even Eren looks concerned.

"Hanji, give me your belt," says Levi sternly. "And your blades. I'm going to cut him out."

Hanji immediately complies and strips out of her ODM gear and hands it over to him. He gets it on as quickly as he can, barely paying attention to the way his fingers fumble over the clasps and how foreign the belt feels on his hips. His only concern at the moment is getting Eren out of his Titan.

When the belt and blades are secure, he shoots his line up, and it sticks in Eren's shoulder. He fully expects Eren to swat at him, and is prepared for it, but he is glad when that does not come, and he can swing up to his shoulder in peace. He then runs as fast as he can to Eren's nape, again expecting the worst but again it does not come. When he arrives, he pulls out Hanji's blades, and in one deft stroke, he cuts Eren's flesh. The piece falls away with a large release of steam and inside is Eren, his back facing Levi and his body still connected to the Titan. Levi puts the blades aside and reaches under Eren's armpits and pulls as hard as he can, grateful that he is not as fused as he feared, and effortlessly pulls the Shifter out of his Titan.

Eren is thankfully conscious and seems in control of himself, but that doesn't stop Levi from forcing him to lay on his back and put his arms around his shoulders. Eren feels like a child, but at the same time, he can hardly complain, he is not exactly feeling well enough to do this himself. In his barely conscious state, it doesn't register that they are both shirtless.

"Don't let go," instructs Levi as he shoots a pair of cables into a nearby tree. He can feel the Titan's flesh increasing in temperature through his boots the longer he stands there, and he knows at any moment it can collapse. He puts his hand briefly on Eren's arms around his shoulders to ensure they are in fact there and wrapped tight enough that he will not slip off during transit. When he is satisfied they will both walk away uninjured, he jumps, allowing the ODM gear to do its job by safely bringing them down to earth with the assistance of gravity. Eren is a solid weight on Levi's bare back, but he hardly minds, just glad that this did not end as badly as he expected. Still, he can't shake how unsettled he felt when he realized that Eren was struggling to get out of his Titan; for a fleeting moment, he was terrified something went wrong, and Eren was no longer there, just the monster.

"How do you feel?" he asks above the rush of the wind.

"Tired," replies Eren and then yawns in Levi's ear as if to emphasize the point. He tries to ignore the pleasant shiver that works its way down his spine when Eren's warm breath comes into contact with his skin. He chalks it up to it being an unfamiliar sensation on a sensitive area.

"You can't go to bed yet," says Levi as he slows their descent just slightly. "We need to talk about what happened."

"But I don't know what happened," says Eren, a slight whine in his voice.

"I'm sure Hanji will figure it out," mutters Levi as he puts his boots on the ground. He then allows his knees to go forward and into the dirt, cringing at the likely stains he will find there in a few minutes, and they come to a stop just a few feet short of the tree. "C'mon Sleepyhead, the ride's over," says Levi as he wiggles his shoulders to get Eren's attention.

"No, 'm comfortable," mumbles Eren against Levi's shoulder and Levi goes stock still for a moment. _What the hell does he find comfortable about this?_

"Levi! Eren!" calls Hanji, interrupting Levi's train of thought with a thud. "Is he okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing physical," replies Levi as he shifts Eren on his shoulders. He then hears a soft snore. "Please tell me he isn't asleep on my back."

Hanji bites her lower lip to keep from giggling, but it slips through anyway. "Maybe just a little?"

"Damn brat," Levi mutters as he moves so Eren is draped more comfortably before he stands up. He is a little surprised at how light Eren is, considering he is almost three inches taller.

"I can help," offers Hanji but Levi shakes his head.

"I'm fine," says Levi, his voice low so as not to disturb the man on his back. "It's not that far to the base, and I'd rather not deal with a sleepy whiny brat."

Hanji is now incredibly curious as to Levi's current mood. She wonders if she should be studying him instead of Titans. "Are you sure? He doesn't look too heavy, I can carry—"

"I said I have this, Four Eyes," snaps Levi as he begins walking with Eren perched on his back.

Hanji watches in stunned silence. _Since when did Levi care so much for a person? And why is he so . . . so protective of Eren?_ She decides that Levi is something she needs to study closer.

* * *

When Eren awakens, it takes him a moment to realize that he is in his room and not on Levi's back, the last place he remembers being. Then it comes back to him in a flash: Shifting, obeying Hanji and Levi's orders, trying to go back to normal, Levi cutting him out and then falling asleep on his back. He is not sure if Levi continued to carry him or how exactly he ended up in his bed, but he is glad that the Captain didn't just drop him somewhere random.

"Hey," says someone and he turns to see Armin sitting at his bedside. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I just got body slammed by Reiner," replies Eren as he sits up, his entire body aching all over. "What happened?"

"You tell me," says Armin with a shrug. "We were in the middle of dinner when Hanji and Levi came in with you on his back. Mikasa tried to charge him and take you, but he wouldn't let her and ordered me to help him. Jean and Sasha had to hold her back."

Eren chuckles. That certainly makes sense.

"Anyway, we got here, and I helped Levi put you in bed," continues Armin with a curious look to Eren. "Then he sat with you for a little while, Hanji was writing on any piece of paper she could get her hands on, and I just sat and waited for an explanation. I didn't get one, but Hanji promised to tell me after she got back from transferring her notes."

"Where's Levi?" asks Eren, glancing around the room for any sign of the Titan killer.

"I don't know," replies Armin, shrugging again. "He stepped out just a few minutes ago."

Eren lies back down, hissing when he moves his legs just a little. "Damn."

Armin is at his side in an instant, looking incredibly concerned. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, I should be okay in a little while," says Eren as he tries to move up on his pillow to meet Armin's eyes. "I just didn't realize going Titan would make me so tired."

"Well, you haven't done it in a while," Armin points out. "This could just be your body's way of reacting to it after it being dormant for a few weeks."

Eren shrugs and then winces. "Maybe or maybe I'm just a failure."

"Don't start moping, Eren," says Levi as he enters with two cups of tea. Eren notices that he is wearing a shirt again. "It's unbecoming of a soldier and if anyone has the right to complain it's me; I carried your ass back here by myself."

"Surely my ass doesn't weigh that much," quips Eren with a wide grin and Armin snickers behind his hand.

Levi eyes him carefully as he sits down on the end of his bed. "Not bad," he says as he hands him the cup. "Drink this. I added some herbs to help with any pain you might be feeling."

Armin's eyes go wide as Eren eagerly accepts the cup and drinks it just like their captain. _When did he start doing that?_

"Do you know why you couldn't transform back?" asks Levi after he takes a sip of his tea and Armin openly gapes at his best friend.

"What do you mean he couldn't change back?" asks a voice threateningly at the door and they turn to see Mikasa and Hanji standing in the doorway, Mikasa the one who posed the question.

Eren rolls his eyes as his foster sister enters along with the Titan enthusiast. Mikasa glares at their captain as she takes a seat beside Armin, eyeing the tea in Eren's hands suspiciously as if worried Levi poisoned it.

"Eren, we need to know what happened," says Hanji calmly as she stands at the end of his bed. "Did you lose control? Did you lose your mind?"

"I don't think so," he says slowly, looking down at the tea in his hand. "I can remember everything that happened while I was a Titan, the only thing I can't explain is why I couldn't change back. I haven't had a problem before this." He takes a slow and deliberate sip of his tea; answering these questions reminds him of the tribunal and how his life hung in the balance.

"That still doesn't answer the question," says Mikasa sternly. "If you can't return to normal after Shifting, then you shouldn't do it at all."

Eren nearly spits out his tea. "What the hell are you talking about, Mikasa?" he asks once he swallows. "If I don't then humanity doesn't have a prayer against the Titans!"

"I don't care about humanity," snaps Mikasa, causing the others in the room to jump. "I just want you safe, Eren! I'm not about to lose the only family I have left to a Titan he can't even control!"

"I was in control!" rages Eren. "I told you, I remember everything that happened. The only thing I couldn't do was change back." He takes a small sip of tea. "Now that I think about it, it was almost like the Titan wouldn't let me."

Levi raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Is it becoming sentient?"

Eren shakes his head. "I don't think so but . . . Something felt off when I was inside. Everything fused normally right up until my nervous system, that felt just a little different."

Hanji pulls out a notebook and pencil. "Describe the feeling."

"It's hard," he admits sheepishly.

"Please try," insists Hanji and Levi nods.

Eren rubs the back of his neck and lets out a shaky breath. "When I fused before, it felt temporary and foreign, like I was wearing someone else's skin. This time . . . this time it felt a little more natural like I was the Titan and it was me, not just me wearing its skin."

The room becomes silent, and all eyes are on Eren. No one is sure how to address this revelation, not even Eren.

"Well, at least we know you weren't out of control," says Hanji with a grin, breaking the silence and the tension. "That would be problematic, but this still isn't good." She rubs the top of her head as she thinks over their options.

"What should I do?" asks Eren, sounding slightly desperate.

Hanji looks at him and shrugs. "As far as I can tell, there are three options. One, you never Shift again, which you are already against so I won't linger on it. Two, you use your powers frequently and try to leave your Titan on your own, but I don't like what you said, about how you felt like this was becoming natural. That might be an indication of something else, and I don't want to study that just yet."

"So what's my third option?" asks Eren with a mournful sigh.

"You only Shift in an emergency," replies Hanji calmly. "And I mean the kind of emergency only a Titan can handle, not one where humans could easily win."

"That sounds agreeable," says Levi immediately, earning him a suspicious glare from Mikasa and a raised eyebrow from Armin. "So long as Eren is with me or the others, he shouldn't have to worry about being in those situations."

"Do I get a say in this?" asks Eren testily.

Levi shrugs. "Not really. Right now you're in the care of the Survey Corps, and my responsibility. If we let you choose and it goes wrong, we might not be able to save you from the Military Police."

"But you said that you couldn't tell if a choice is a good one until after it's been made," counters Eren, to Levi's annoyance. "How are you so sure it's the right one?"

"I'm not," says Levi flatly. "Given our limited options, however, it is the lesser in consequence. We can't have you permanently without your powers, and we can't risk your Titan overwhelming you or us. This is a more controlled means of dealing with the problem until we're in a position to better assess it."

Eren opens his mouth to argue, but his tongue feels heavy in his mouth. His eyelids suddenly cannot stop blinking shut, and he can feel his body relaxing tremendously. He watches through slightly blurry vision as Levi reaches and takes his cup before it can fall. Moments later the world goes black, and all he feels are clouds supporting him.

"What the hell did you give him?" asks Hanji as she watches Eren pass out.

"Sleeping herbs," replies Levi as he puts Eren's cup on the bedside table. "I figured there would be some pain after being forcibly removed from his Titan and he needed to sleep; the herbs ensure that he'll be able to sleep without feeling any pain."

Mikasa is practically burning with anger. "You drugged him! And you lied to him!"

"No," says Levi calmly, his expression deadpan when he looks at Eren's foster sister. "I didn't drug him, and I didn't lie; I said the herbs would help with his pain and it's not drugging if the person agrees. Eren did drink the tea even after I told him."

"Then you should've just told him what the herbs did in the first place!" snaps Mikasa, practically grinding her teeth.

"You know as well as I do that he wouldn't have touched it if he knew the herbs were to make him sleep," counters Levi and Mikasa's tense jaw slackens. "Thank you for endorsing my point."

"I think we should discuss this further, Levi," says Hanji, nudging the other with her elbow and he nods. "We'll leave you two to deal with Eren."

Levi stands and together, he and Hanji head for the door. Mikasa immediately jumps into action, pulling off Eren's boots and trying to get him under a blanket. Armin stands up to help, looking around for a spare blanket when out of the corner of his eye he notices a shadow in the doorway. Carefully looking towards it without giving himself away, he almost says something when he sees Levi standing there, his arms crossed and expression flat. Armin's eyes travel up to his and notice how soft they are compared to the rest of his stony features. His eyes follow Levi's gaze, and his heart almost stops when he realizes the man is looking at Eren. When he looks back, Levi is already gone.


End file.
